San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-01-13
30 NNIE doom
A LOVE STORY.

on fire. lie longed TO KISS the sweet
face,-to hear the dear voice. He was
growing impatient.
He went through the stone porch, but
the silence of the house was deeper and
colder than the silence that lay outside;
there was no sign of human life or pres
ence, no fire burned in the pretty sit
ting-room; all was cold, blank, and DESC
late; the farmers kindly face was alb
sent; neither Mrs. Vaughan nor Bonnie
Doom were there. He stood waiting for
some time, no one answered his call, no
one came. The chill and the silence
deepened until something like sensa-
ton of despair came over him. What
could it meanp He went at last into
the pretty green drawing-roOm, and
there his bewildered eyes fell on Mrs.
Vaughan, who sat sleeping in the easy
chair.
Quite another woman from the kind
ly, motherly woman who had nursed
and tended him. Her face was CHASTITY
in its pallOr, and even though she slept
he could see that her eyes were swollen
with weeping. What could be the mat
terp He looked with eyes of loving re-
cognition round the pretty room, but
here was the same terrible silence.
What could it mean?
He spoke gently to Mrs. Vaughan; she
woke up suddenly. and when she saw
him she sprang from her seat with
terrible cry.
"Oh, Heavenl is it you, sir2 Is it
you2"
Yes" he said. 81 hope have not
startled you. | cannot think what has
come to the house, it looks so cheerless."
'Do you not know" she cried aloud,
with a voice full of horror. DO YOU
not know"
mo; how should II have come to
see Bonnie Doom, Mrs. Vaughan; let
her come to me quickly, or will go to
her,"
The woman stood looking at him with
wild. deSpairing eyes.
"You do not know?" she said. "Come
with me-"
He could not understand her. Mrs.
Vaughan was, as rule, one of the
most, patient and self-contained of wo-
men.
He followed her; he had never been
in that part Of the house before. She
led the way up narrow staircase, I'M
til they reached a broad, light landing.
She turned to him a face he never for
got:
You want to see Bonnie DOOM"
she said, in voice that despair made
hardly human. go in-she is there"
He went in, wondering.
Oh, Heaven! what was therep-what
was it? He stood like a man changed
to stone. Great Heayenl what was it2
Tall, thin, fair, and cold-straight and
silentl
"You want to see Bonnie Doom, q" said
the same unearthly voice. "There she
lies, fast asleep, my Bonnie Doonl"
He staggered to the bedside. Fair
and silent, with the majesty of death on
her face, there lay Bonnie Doom, the
blue eyes hidden for ever by the white
lids; the sweet lips that had kissed him
white and still,
''She is fast asleep" said the poor
mother; Bonnie Doom will never wake
again; and it is love for you that has
killed her. No one knows but Laurence
and me; we shall never tell, for her
sweet sake"
He drew near to the beautiful silent
figure; he fell on his knees, with loud,
= bitter cry.
II came to marry herl Oh, Heav-
en-! help me, l came to ask her to be my
"You came too late,n she said. eff
you loved her, you should not have left
her-if you knew that you had won her
lONOs SOu ohOulu HUI nave ltlJ UtT Ill
this time.'
But he was stricken dumb with grief,
wonder, and despair-dumb with amaze.
He called her name. "Oh, Bonnie Doom. |"
he said my beautiful, dear love, come
to me-open your eyes and look at me.
open your lips and speak to me, my fair,
innocent love, my dear and gentle loye!''
But, for the first time, she was deaf to
his voice. Then he looked at the living
face, not much less pallid than the face
of the dead.
what have done,r he said, "that
I'm punished in this way?''
II cannot tell" she replied. 81 only
know that she has died because she low
ed you So"
'How do you know that love of me
has killed herp" he asked. fiercely.
"Look!'' said Mrs. Vaughan.
She turned aside the white sheet that
shrouded the beautiful figure, and
showed him one white hand that held
the golden locket so tightly clasped: no
force could have removed it,
"LoOkl" she said. in all her illness,
in all her agonies of death, she never
loosed her hold of that.
why need she die because she loved
mey' he cried, bitterly. "Why did she
not live and wait for meS l told her I
should come"